


Lending Policy

by rufousnmacska



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Kingdom of Ash, Manorian, blackbeak witches, crochan witches, ironteeth witches, the thirteen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-11 00:31:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16465262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rufousnmacska/pseuds/rufousnmacska
Summary: A manorian story set after Kindgom of Ash(KoA Spoilers!)





	Lending Policy

Dorian had known she’d come. The promise made in Orynth had shone in her eyes and in his memory. And yet…

She was actually here in Rifthold. Asleep in his bed. In his arms. And he couldn’t stop marveling over how incredible it felt to hold her. So much better than his dreams of her, the waking fantasies, which never did her justice. This was real and she was warm and whole in his arms.

Not whole, Dorian corrected. Perhaps she never would be. He felt the loss daily and he’d only known the witches for a few months. It would be infinitely worse for her.

He trailed his fingers up and down her bare back, staring at her pale skin in wonderment.  His eyes followed his touch all the way to her neck, and he found Manon awake, watching him. 

“The last time I was here,” she said, scanning his bedroom, “I thought the mess was from the witch who’d just destroyed your tower.”

Dorian laughed softly.

“But it appears to be the normal state of things.”

“I would’ve cleaned up if I knew you were coming today,” he said. “Or if I knew you didn’t like clutter.”

Manon frowned. “You didn’t think I’d come?”

Only a few months had passed, and despite their messages back and forth, despite his trust in her words, he hadn’t been able to quell the anxiety. He knew she would come. And he knew why it had to be this way. But it didn’t stop him from wishing there was no distance between them. 

“I did,” he said, pulling her closer. “I hoped for it every day. I missed you every day.”

Her warm breath blew over his chest, shaky and ragged.

Hoping to lighten her mood, he asked, “So what is your preference, then? Clean or cluttered?”

Twisting in his arms to look around the room, her sharp eyes examined every stack of books and pile of papers. “Clearly you prefer it this way, so leave it.”

“But…” he coaxed, grinning.

Her golden eyes, infinite and solemn, held his. “But nothing. This is your home.”

Dorian opened his mouth, wanting to say he hoped it might be hers someday too, but he forced it aside.

She surprised him though when she added, “But. I wouldn’t complain if it was more organized. I prefer finding what I want quickly.” A smile flickered across her face. “I don’t know how you keep anything straight.”

“Well,” he said, pointing to a tower of books that looked close to falling over, “those are about the Southern Continent. I’m reading them to learn more about changes I’d like to make in Adarlan. Those,” he pointed to a mountain of loose papers spilling across his desk. “Those are the requests for money to rebuild.”

Manon cringed in sympathy. No doubt she was dealing with similar issues. “What about those?” she asked, nodding toward the four books on his night stand, their spines facing away.

Heat bloomed on his cheeks and her eyes lit up. She stretched over him, reaching for the top book.

“No, wait!” Dorian tried to wrestle her back but she was too fast.

Manon plopped back down next to him and opened the book. Her brow furrowed at the title page.

He dropped his head into his hands, laughing in embarrassment, though he didn’t know why. He made no secret of his love for adventure and romance novels. But he’d never considered what Manon might think of it.

She sifted through the pages, one eye on the words, the other watching him squirm. And enjoying it, he noted. Her lips twitched into a soft smile and his heart soared at the sight.

Abruptly, she paused her flipping and silently read a page, eyes slowly widening. Then she turned to the next, and the next, only stopping when the chapter ended.

She looked at him, her face glowing with surprised amusement. “I should have guessed you’d like books like this.”

Laughing, he said, “Yes, well. Sometimes they are good for… inspiration.”

A smile, knowing and tempting and a little wicked. “Perhaps you could lend me some?”

“Perhaps,” he crooned. “They’re from the royal library so they’d need to be properly checked out and returned. In a timely manner.”

With feigned gravity, Manon replied, “Of course. We must think of the political implications. If the Queen of the Witches failed to return library books to the King of Adarlan.”

He sat up against the bed and plucked the book from her hands, opening it to the first chapter. “It could be a very serious misstep in the early stages of our kingdoms’ friendship.”

Manon rested her head on his shoulder. “Indeed.”

Before he began to read, she asked quietly, “Would these help me? To fall asleep at night? Or distract me? When all I can think about is… that moment?”

Dorian looked at her. All the playfulness of a moment ago had disappeared, replaced with an expression that made his chest ache. “They help me,” he said simply, not wanting to burden her with all the things from which they distracted him. Loneliness, chief among them.

Gently, he tilted her chin up. “If there was anything I could do to take the pain away, I would.”

Her eyes shimmered in the low fire light. “I know.” Manon blinked and then nodded for him to read, nestling back against him.

After clearing his throat, Dorian began to read. With each character, he tried his best to create a new voice, savoring every smile or laugh he could draw from Manon. 

***

When she left for the Wastes a few days later, Abraxos bore a heavy, awkward bag among the others. Dorian had lent her his ten favorites, with a card tucked inside each one listing a due date.

Per library rules, Manon had two months to read them. The penalty for lateness had been set by her. If she didn’t return them by the due date, the King himself was required to fetch them.

As Dorian watched her fly away, he started a mental list of the next batch of books she might enjoy. And tried to figure out a way to see her before they were due.

 

 

***

(It doesn’t take him long. He institutes a new rule after realizing the books he gave her are very popular. If another person requests one of the books she has, he will have no choice but to retrieve it himself. He holds out for three weeks before claiming Chaol put in a request (to Chaol’s horror). Then he shifts into a wyvern and takes off for the Wastes. With a new bag full of books.)


End file.
